O75 Public Administration

PM’s new baseload plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Sep-17

The Federal Government has advised that its energy policy will have a focus on affordable and reliable baseload electric power generation, rather than a clean energy target. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated that Australia could meet its 2030 emissions reductions targets while retaining coal as part of the energy mix. He also says AGL Energy’s plan to replace the 1,000 megawatts of baseload generation of its Liddell power station cannot include renewable energy, arguing that they are not baseload. AGL has been given 90 days to develop a plan to replace the ageing power station’s output.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

‘Union-basher’ bill under fire

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Original article by James Massola
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 6 : 13-Sep-17

ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the union movement will lobby Senate crossbenchers to vote against legislation aimed at cracking down on unions. Amongst other things, the Federal Government wants to subject union mergers to a public interest test and make it easier to deregister a union. McManus has described the reforms as an "attack on democracy", and she warns that they may breach the International Labour Organization’s convention regarding the right to organise and freedom of association.

CORPORATES
ACTU, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

World builds coal plants faster than they shut

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 13-Sep-17

Analysis by the federal parliamentary library shows that 621 new coal-fired power generation units are under construction worldwide, including 299 in China. Countries with nuclear power generation, such as Japan, are also building new coal-fired power plants. National Party senator John Williams argues that transitioning to renewable energy in Australia will have no impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, as the new coal-fired power plants under construction overseas will generate more emissions than the nation as a whole.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF PARLIAMENTARY SERVICES. PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

Calombaris to reimburse underpaid staff within weeks

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Original article by Cameron Houston, Chris Vedelago
The Age – Page: 11 : 13-Sep-17

Made Establishment, which is part-owned by celebrity chef George Calombaris, has advised former staff that it will provide them with all outstanding backpay by 13 October. The hospitality group had previously advised that ex-employees who had been underpaid would not be reimbursed until mid-2018, after it failed to meet a deadline of 30 June 2017. Made Establishment has already paid current staff some $A2.6m in backpay.

CORPORATES
MADE ESTABLISHMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

Turnbull’s power deal with AGL

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 12-Sep-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg held talks with AGL Energy CEO Andy Vesey regarding the Liddell coal-fired power station on 11 September. Vesey agreed to a 90-day deadline to develop a plan to replace the ageing power station’s output. He will also put a proposal to the AGL board to sell the power station or keep it open for five years beyond its slated shutdown in 2022. The Australian ­Energy Market Operator has estimated that an extra 1,000 megawatts of electricity generation will be needed to offset the closure of Liddell.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Coalition bid to dry up ‘rivers of gold’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 12-Sep-17

The Federal Government is seeking to impose restrictions on payments made from employee entitlement funds. Under the Proper Use of Worker Benefits Bill, such funds would need to be registered with the Registered Organisations Commission, and to have one independent director, alongside employer and union-appointed directors. Funds would no longer be able to make payments to unions or employers’ groups, with the Australian Electoral Commission estimating that unions have received an average of $A25 million in payments from employee entitlement funds in the last five years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Heat on unions’ super cash

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Sep-17

The Federal Government will introduce legislation to increase the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s powers to force superannuation funds to disclose their payments to unions. The reforms will also allow fund members to be informed as to how their super contributions are being invested or redirected to unions or employers’ groups. It is estimated that super funds paid more than $A8m to unions in the form of "sponsorship" payments in 2016, with Cbus accounting for more than $A1m of these payments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, PLUMBING TRADES EMPLOYEES UNION, TWUSUPER, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, UNITED VOICE, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Nationals rally against energy plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 7 : 11-Sep-17

The National Party’s federal council has passed a motion opposing a clean energy target. The same motion called for Australia’s renewable energy target to be set at 23 per cent in 2020, and for there to be no subsidisation of any energy source after that date. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg are set to meet AGL Energy CEO Andy Vesey over the future of AGL’s Liddell coal-fired power plant. AGL wants to close it in 2022, but the Federal Government wants AGL to sell the plant.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

New Zealanders’ concerns dominated by ‘Poverty and the gap between the rich and poor’, ‘House prices & Housing affordability’ and ‘Housing shortages & Homelessness’ as New Zealanders get set to vote in NZ Election

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 11-Sep-17

A New Zealand Roy Morgan poll, which was conducted in August 2017, shows that 27.9% of New Zealanders believe Economic issues are the most important problems facing New Zealand in the lead-up to the election in September, followed by Housing/Homelessness issues (26%). Single issue analysis of the responses shows that the specific issue of greatest concern for New Zealand is Poverty and the gap between rich and poor, mentioned by just under 17% of New Zealanders (up nearly 3% on the figure in May). Meanwhile, 25.4% of New Zealanders identified War & Terrorism as the most important issues facing the World, followed by Economic issues (23.2%). Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says New Zealand’s Election is a contest between the fresh ideas provided by new Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern and the steady hand of a National Government which has presided over nine years of relatively strong growth.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Next battle: same-sex campaign rules

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 8-Sep-17

The Federal Government will shortly begin distributing ballot papers for the postal plebiscite on same-sex marriage after the High Court ruled that it can proceed. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have urged all Australian electors to participate in the voluntary survey. The Government is drafting the rules for the eight-week public campaign on the issue of marriage equality, while there is growing concern about the potential impact of legalisation of same-sex marriages on religious freedom.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS